14th Sunday after Pentecost / The Holy Prophet Zachariah, father of the Forerunner
Beatitudes
on 10 Octoechos 6; Prophet 4, from Ode 3.
1. Believing Thee to be God, O Christ, the thief
on the cross confessed Thee in a pure manner, crying out from the depths of his
heart: Remember me in Thy kingdom, O
Lord!
2. Together let us hymn as Savior and Creator,
Him Who on the Cross budded forth life for our race and caused the curse which
originated from the tree to wither up.
3. By Thy death hast Thou destroyed the power of
death, O Christ, and Thou didst raise up with Thyself the dead of ages past,
who now hymn Thee as our true God and Savior.
4. Arriving at Thy tomb, O Christ, the honorable
women sought to anoint Thee with myrrh, O Bestower of life; but an angel
appeared to them, crying out: The Lord is risen!
5. When Thou wast crucified between two
condemned thieves, O Christ, one of them blasphemed Thee and was justly damned,
while the other confessed Thee and dwelleth now in paradise.
6. When they had come to the choir of the
apostles, the honorable women cried out: Christ is risen! Let us worship Him as Master and Creator.
7. When thou didst offer the incense of the
covenant, O high priest, then didst thou receive the prophetic proclamation of
the Forerunner.
8. The priesthood
anointed thee with oil to serve as priest, like Aaron. Wherefore, thou was
counted worthy to behold an angel.
9. Zachariah begat
John, the dawn which announced to the whole world Thee, the noetic Sun, O
Savior.
10. Set my life
aright, O most pure Theotokos, thou life which filled with light the house of
Zachariah.
Troparia & Kontakia
Tone 5: Let us, O faithful, praise and worship the
Word /
Who is
co-unoriginate with the Father and the Spirit, /
and Who was born of
the Virgin for our salvation; /
for He was pleased
to ascend the Cross in the flesh /
and to endure death,
//
and to raise the
dead by His glorious Resurrection.
[Troparion of the
Tone 4: In the vesture of a priest, according to the Law of God, /
thou didst offer unto Him well-pleasing whole-burnt offerings, /
as it befitted a priest, O wise Zechariah. /
Thou wast a shining light, a seer of mysteries, /
bearing in thyself clearly signs of grace; /
and in God's temple, O wise Prophet of Christ God, /
thou wast slain with the sword. /
Hence, with the Forerunner, //
make entreaty that our souls find salvation.
Tone 5: Unto hades, O my Savior, didst Thou descend,
/
and having broken
its gates as one omnipotent, /
Thou, as Creator,
didst raise up the dead together with Thyself. /
And Thou didst break
the sting of death, /
and didst deliver
Adam from the curse, O Lover of mankind. /
Wherefore, we all
cry unto Thee: //
Save us, O Lord.
[Kontakion of the
Glory… Tone 3: Today Zachariah, the prophet and high priest of the Most High, /
the father of the
Forerunner, /
setteth the table of his memorial, feeding the
faithful; /
for he hath
distributed the food of righteousness unto all. /
Therefore, he hath
reposed //
as a divine initiate
of the mysteries of the grace of God.
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: The Prokimenon in
the 5th Tone: Thou, O Lord, shalt keep us and shalt preserve us from
this generation and for evermore.
Choir: Thou, O Lord, shalt keep us and shalt
preserve us from this generation and for evermore.
Reader: Save me, O Lord
for a righteous man there is no more.
Choir: Thou, O Lord, shalt keep us and shalt
preserve us from this generation and for evermore.
Reader: In the 7th
Tone: The righteous man shall rejoice in the Lord, and shall hope in Him.
Choir: The righteous
man shall rejoice in the Lord, and shall hope in Him.
Reader: The Reading is from the Second Epistle of the Holy Apostle
Paul to the Corinthians: [II Cor.
1:21-2:4 (§170); Heb. 6:13-20 (§314)].
Reader: Alleluia in the 5th
Tone: Of Thy mercies, O Lord, will I sing for ever. Unto generation and generation will I declare
Thy truth with my mouth.
Choir: Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia!
Reader: For Thou hast
said: Mercy shall be built up for ever, in the heavens shall Thy truth be
established.
Choir: Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia!
Reader: In the 7th
Tone: A light hath dawned for the righteous man.
Choir: Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia!
Gospel [Matt. 22:2-14 (§89); Matt. 23:29-39 (§96)].
Communion Verse: Praise the Lord from 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!