The Sunday of Great and Holy Pascha

 

Deacon:  Bless, master!

Priest:  Blessed is the kingdom…

Choir: Amen. 

And the clergy sing:

Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death, and upon those in the

tombs bestowing life. Thrice

And then choir also sings the Troparion thrice.

 

The Priest reads the stichoi, and the choir sings the troparion after each

stichos:

            Stichos 1: Let God arise and let His enemies be scattered, and let them that hate

Him flee from before His face.

Choir: Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death, and upon

those in the tombs bestowing life.

            Stichos 2:  As smoke vanisheth, so let them vanish, as wax melteth before the \

fire.

Choir:  Repeat Troparion

            Stichos 3:  So let the sinners perish at the presence of God, and let the righteous

be glad.

            Choir:  Repeat Troparion

            Stichos 4:  This is the day which the Lord hath made; let us rejoice and be glad

therein.

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

            Choir:  Repeat Troparion

            Priest: Both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages.  Amen. 

            Choir:  Repeat Troparion

Priest:  Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death.

Choir:  And upon those in the tombs bestowing life.

 

Then, in place of the usual antiphons, we sing those of the feast:

 

The First Antiphon

 

Stichos 1:  Shout with jubilation unto the Lord all the earth; chant ye unto His

name, give glory in praise of Him.

Refrain:  Through the prayers of the Theotokos, O Savior, save us.

Stichos 2:  Say unto God: How awesome are Thy works!  In the multitude of Thy

power shall Thine enemies be proved false unto Thee.

Refrain:  Through the prayers of the Theotokos, O Savior, save us.

Stichos 3:  Let all the earth worship Thee and chant unto Thee; let them chant

unto Thy name, O Most High.

Refrain:  Through the prayers of the Theotokos, O Savior, save us.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, both now and ever, and

unto the ages of ages.  Amen.

Refrain:  Through the prayers of the Theotokos, O Savior, save us.

 

The Second Antiphon

 

Stichos 1:  God be gracious unto us and bless us, and cause Thy face to shine

upon us and have mercy on us.

Refrain:  O Son of God Who didst rise from the dead, save us who sing to Thee: 

Alleluia.

Stichos 2:  That we may know upon the earth Thy way, among all the nations Thy

salvation.

Refrain. O Son of God Who didst rise from the dead, save us who sing to Thee: 

Alleluia.

Stichos 3:  Let all the peoples give Thee praise, O God, let all the peoples praise

Thee.

Refrain:  O Son of God Who didst rise from the dead, save us who sing to Thee: 

Alleluia.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, both now and ever, and

unto the ages of ages.  Amen.

            O only-begotten Son and Word of God, Who art immortal, yet didst deign for our

salvation to be incarnate of the Holy Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary, and without

change didst become man, and was crucified, O Christ God, trampling down death by

death.  Thou Who art one of the Holy Trinity, glorified with the Father and the Holy

Spirit, save us.

 

The Third Antiphon

 

Reader: Stichos 1:  Let God arise and let His enemies be scattered, and let them that

hate Him flee from before His face.

Choir: Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death, and upon

those in the tombs bestowing life.

            Stichos 2:  As smoke vanisheth, so let them vanish, as wax melteth before the

fire.

Choir:  Repeat Troparion

            Stichos 3:  So let the sinners perish at the presence of God, and let the righteous

be glad, let them rejoice in the presence of God

            Choir:  Repeat Troparion

 

The entry verse:

In congregations bless ye God, the Lord from the wellsprings of  Israel.

 

Then we sing the Troparion, Hypakoe, and Kontakion of the Feast:

 

Tone 1:  Christ is risen from the dead, /

trampling down death by death, //

and upon those in the tombs bestowing life.

 

Glory… Tone 8:  Forestalling the dawn, the women came with Mary, /

and found the stone rolled away from the Sepulchre, and heard from the angel: /

Why seek ye among the dead, as though He were mortal, Him Who liveth in everlasting light? /

Behold the grave-clothes.  Go quickly and proclaim to the world that the Lord is risen and hath slain death. //

For He is the Son of God Who saveth mankind.

 

Both now… Tone 8:  Thou didst descend into the tomb, O Immortal, /

Thou didst destroy the power of death. /

In victory didst Thou arise, O Christ God, /

proclaiming “Rejoice!” to the myrrh-bearing women;

granting peace to Thine apostles, //

and bestowing resurrection on the fallen.

 

Instead of the Trisagion:  As many as have been baptized into Christ have

put on Christ.  Alleluia.  Thrice.

            Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, both now

and ever, and unto the ages of ages.  Amen.  Have put on Christ.  Alleluia.

            As many as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 

Alleluia.

 

The Epistle

 

Reader: The Prokimenon in the 8th Tone: This is the day which the Lord hath made; let

us rejoice and be glad therein.

Choir:  This is the day which the Lord hath made; let us rejoice and be glad therein.

Reader:  O give thanks unto the Lord, for He is good, for His mercy endureth forever 

Choir:  This is the day which the Lord hath made; let us rejoice and be glad therein.

Reader. This is the day which the Lord hath made

Choir: let us rejoice and be glad therein.
 

Reader: The Reading is from the Acts of  the Holy Apostles: 

[Acts 1:1-8]

 

Reader: Alleluia in the 4th Tone.

Choir: Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia!

Reader:  Thou shalt rise up and have pity upon Zion.

Choir: Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia!

Reader:  The Lord from heaven hath looked upon the earth.

Choir: Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia!

 

Gospel [John 1:1-17]

 

Instead of “It is truly meet…” we chant the Irmos of the 9th Ode of the

Canon of the feast, first Tone:

            Refrain:  The angel cried unto her that is full of grace: Rejoice, O pure Virgin!

And again I say, rejoice!  For thy Son is risen from the grave on the third day, and hath

raised the dead, O ye people, be joyful!

            Irmos:   Shine, shine, O new Jerusalem, for the glory of the Lord is risen upon

thee; dance now and be glad, O Zion, and do thou exult, O pure Theotokos, in the arising

of Him Whom thou didst bear.

 

Communion Verse:  Receive ye the Body of Christ, taste ye of the Fountain of

Immortality.  Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.

 

            When the priest says: “With the fear of God and with faith draw near,” instead of

“Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord,” we sing: “Christ is risen…” once. 

And we also sing this instead of “We have seen the true light…” and instead of “Let our

mouths be filled with thy praise…”

 

            When the priest says: “The blessing of the Lord be upon you…” The Choir sings

“Amen.” And then the clergy sing: “Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death

by death.” And the Choir sings: “And upon those in the tombs bestowing life.”

 

            After this the priest says the dismissal, and “Christ is risen!” thrice, while

bestowing a blessing with the Cross.