20th
Sunday after Pentecost / The Holy Fathers of the Seventh Ecumenical Council /
The Holy Apostle James, the Son of Alphaeus
Beatitude Verses: Octoechos: 4;
Fathers: 4 from Ode 3; Saint: 4 from Ode 6.
1. From paradise didst
Thou drive our forefather Adam, who had broken Thy commandment, O Christ; but,
O Compassionate One, Thou didst cause to dwell therein the thief who confessed
Thee on the cross, crying out: “Remember me, O Savior, in Thy kingdom!”
2. With the curse of death
didst Thou condemn us who had sinned, O Lord, Bestower of life; yet having
suffered in Thy flesh, O sinless Master, Thou hast granted life unto mortals
who cry out: “Remember us also in Thy kingdom!”
3. In rising from the dead,
Thou hast raised us up from the passions with Thyself through Thy resurrection,
O Lord; and all the power of death hast Thou destroyed, O Savior. Wherefore, with faith we cry out to Thee:
“Remember us also in Thy kingdom!”
4. O Thou who as God grantest
life, by Thy three days in the tomb Thou didst raise up with Thyself the dead
in hell, and as One Who is good Thou hast poured forth incorruption upon all of
us who with faith ever cry out: “Remember us also in Thy kingdom!”
5. Initiated into the mysteries
by Christ, the divine chief shepherds drove away from the pious the parties of
Antichrist, who wished to trouble the Church of Christ, that it not be shaken.
6. The Company of the
fathers, drawing forth streams of teaching from the wellsprings of salvation,
give the thirsting people of Christ to drink thereof, and wash away the turbid streams
of filth.
7. The Seventh Council of the Christ-loving,
whose defenders were the imperial Irene and Constantine, was held in the
splendid city of Nicaea against those who of a truth accused Christians and
brought them to trial.
8. Let all the ungodly depart who do not
venerate the precious icon of the Theotokos and do not proclaim her to be the
one who gave birth to Christ theandrically; and let them be sent into the fire,
to burn without being consumed.
9. Thy beautiful feet truly proclaimed the glad
tidings of transcendent peace, and thy mind is excellent, O most honored
disciple of Christ.
10. Thou hast been vouchsafed to understand and
preach the awesome mystery of the incarnation of God, O ever-memorable James,
who receivest pristine rays of light from the Most High Himself.
11. Shining with the
splendors of ineffable light as is meet, O eminent apostle of Christ, do thou
earnestly pray for those who celebrate thine all-honorable memory, O glorious one.
12. In that thou gavest birth to the good God Who
hath dominion over all creation, O all-pure one, do thou utterly remove the
sores of mine offenses, rendering compassionate Him Who was born of thee.
Troparia & Kontakia Tone 3: Let the heavens be glad; let earthly things rejoice; /
for the Lord hath wrought might with His arm. /He hath trampled down death by death; /the first-born of the dead hath He become. /From the belly of Hades hath He delivered us //and Hath granted to the world great mercy. Tone 8: Most glorified art Thou, O Christ our God, /
Who hast established our
holy fathers as luminous stars upon the earth, /
and through them didst guide
us all to the true Faith. //
O Most merciful One, glory
be to Thee.
Tone 3: O holy Apostle
James, /
entreat thou the merciful
God, //
that He grant unto our souls
forgiveness of offenses.
Tone 3: Thou didst rise
today from the tomb, O Merciful One, /
and didst lead
us out of the gates of death. /
Today Adam
danceth and Eve rejoiceth; /
and together
with them both the prophets and patriarchs //
unceasingly
praise the divine might of Thine authority.
Tone 6: The Son Who shined forth from the Father ineffably
was born, /
twofold of nature, of a
woman. /
Knowing Him, we deny not the
image of His form; /
but depicting it piously, we
revere it faithfully. /
And for this cause, the Church,
in that it holdeth the true faith, //
doth kiss the icon of
Christ’s incarnation.
Glory… Tone 2: With praises
let us all bless the divine herald James, /
who steadfastly instilled
the dogmas of wisdom /
in the souls of the pious;
/
for, standing before the
throne of the Master of glory, /
he rejoiceth with all the
angels, //
praying unceasingly for us
all.
Both now... Tone 6. O protection of Christians that cannot be put to shame, /
O mediation unto the
Creator unfailing, /
disdain not the suppliant
voices of sinners, /
but be thou quick, O good
one, to help us who in faith cry unto thee; /
hasten to intercession and
speed thou to make supplication, //
thou who dost ever
protect, O Theotokos, them that honor thee.
The Epistle
Reader: In the 4th Tone: Blessed art Thou, O
Lord, the God of our fathers, and praised and glorified is Thy name unto the
ages.
Choir:
Blessed art Thou, O Lord,
the God of our fathers, and praised and glorified is Thy name unto the ages.
Reader: For righteous art
Thou in all which Thou hast done for us.
Choir:
Blessed art Thou, O
Lord, the God of our fathers, and praised and glorified is Thy name unto the
ages.
Reader: In
the 8th Tone: Their sound hath gone forth into all the earth,
and their words unto the ends of the world.
Choir:
Their sound hath gone forth into all the earth, and their words unto the
ends of the world.
Reader: The Reading is
from the Epistle of the Holy Apostle Paul to the Galatians:
[Gal. 1:11-19 (§200); Heb. 13:7-16 (§334);
I Cor. 4:9-16 (§131)]
Reader: Alleluia in the 1st Tone: The God of gods, the Lord hath
spoken, and He hath called the earth from the rising of the sun unto the
setting thereof.
Choir: Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia!
Reader: Gather
together unto Him His holy ones who have established His covenant upon
sacrifices.
Choir: Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia!
Reader: The heavens
shall confess Thy wonders, O Lord, and
Thy truth in the congregation of saints.
Choir: Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia!
Gospel [Luke 7:11-16 (§30); John 17:1-13 (§56); Luke 10:16-21 (§51)]
Communion Verse: Praise the Lord from the heavens,
praise Him in the highest! Their sound hath gone forth into all the earth, and
their words unto the ends of the world. Alleluia,
Alleluia, Alleluia!